Serpent Song
by SmurfLuvsCookies
Summary: Cobra never considered the idea that after all their years spent apart, she could have changed as much as he did. (Spoilers for FT Chapter 418 and beyond).
1. Stuck Moving On

_**Author's Note:** Just a quick disclaimer that Fairy Tail does not belong to me. Also, I know there is some arc in the anime that involved Kinana and Cobra, but for all intents and purposes this story is using canon material. So please don't complain about that in the comments. Thank you! Hope you enjoy._

* * *

 **1\. Stuck Moving On**

Murmurs from the city filled his ears. The thick, rustling leaves of the magnolia trees for which the town was named absorbed most of the noise, but whispers bled through the branches. Cobra closed his eyes and took in the sound, listening for one voice.

He couldn't hear it. Not yet. But there were still some miles to go.

A sneeze ruined his tranquility. Nothing aggravated his sensitive nose more than the sweet pollen from these bobbing white blossoms. Cobra didn't know how she could live here, in this despicable city. If this was, in fact, where she even resided.

 _It has to be here_ , he thought to himself as he trekked on through the woods. Magnolia Town was where her voice was the loudest. She had to live here, or somewhere nearby. He just hadn't found her in all the ruckus. He picked through the woods for weeks, climbed Mt. Hakobe, searched Magnolia's sewers, swam the canal, and infiltrated every little hut surrounding the town. It was a blessing no one in Crime Socière was particularly inclined to work with him, otherwise he would have made no progress in his search for Cubelios. It was difficult enough trying to find time between tasks for the organization.

Cobra squinted at the sun dipping behind the trees. He only had a few days before risking Jellal's suspicion. Honestly, he thought Crime Sorcière's unofficial leader would understand Cobra's relentless pursuit for his lost friend, perhaps he was even aware of it, but Cobra didn't want to appear weak in front of his comrades. After nearly a decade, the search seemed desperate and childish even to him. _She was just a pet, after all,_ he had heard them thinking. _Nothing but an oversized reptile he couldn't even speak to. How can he claim to hear her voice now, when he'd never heard it before?_

Sometimes he wondered the same thing.

It was nightfall before the trees broke and revealed the edge of town. Warm yellow light poured from the windows of quaint houses, and the gentle groans of those last few boats on the canal echoed across the brick. Cobra closed his eyes again, letting the soft sleep sounds wash over him. He could hear the buzz of lacrima in the lampposts, parents whispering bedtime stories to their children, crickets in the grass. There was the shuffle of a raccoon digging through the garbage, the chiming of keys as last-shift workers closed up their shops, moans of pleasure coming from an apartment window. When Cobra opened his eyes, he'd resigned himself to finding a room in a motel and starting fresh in the morning.

Then, he heard it.

The melody swelled from the dark of an alley, as high and sweet as the flowers in the trees. And, like those blooms, the music took his breath away. Cobra dove headfast into the maze, letting his ears guide him toward the sound of her voice. He would not lose her this time.

He followed the song to the edge of the canal. Water scattered the music in the breeze, bouncing each precious note against a cobblestone. Cobra scanned the street, but there was no one except for a man docking his gondola. The song was fading into starlight. He had to do something.

"Hey!" he called to the man across the canal. "You! You hear that?"

The man stopped and listened. "The singing? That's just some girl who crossed the street."

"Girl?" Cobra muttered. "Which way did she go?"

The ferryman waved in a general direction as he finished tying up his little boat. Cobra set his jaw and took a few steps back, getting a running start before he leapt across the canal. The ferryman cried out when the strange cloaked figure landed on the dock beside him, but he didn't have time to question the impossible feat before Cobra started running toward the girl's singing. Briefly the ferryman considered the pretty wench's safety, but her pursuer was already out of sight.

Cobra kept running until he reached a small cluster of shabby townhouses lined along the dim, empty street. The murmurs from within each dwelling blended together into a monotonous, tired drone. The song was over. Cubelios was gone.

* * *

Sometimes, Kinana liked to sing to him.

He was always asking to hear her voice, and singing to herself seemed much less conspicuous than talking to herself. His soft pleading echoed in her head even now, begging for a word. She surveyed the quiet twilight out of habit, and opened her mouth to sing one of her favorite tavern tunes.

"The lovers, you've seen them;  
They're famous in town.  
The wife of the baker,  
whose bread is renowned.  
And then there's the blacksmith,  
His hammer so great.  
Why you should have seen them  
their very first date.

O that baker, he left her,  
all on her own,  
One weekend, for Balsam,  
she felt so alone.  
The blacksmith, he saw her,  
and offered her brunch.  
And before you knew it,  
they were meeting for lunch.

Timid and blushing,  
she reached for his hand.  
'My baker, you've seen him,  
he's not a great man.  
He's silly and foolish;  
He can't talk a bit  
about reading or science,  
or town politics.  
It's true that he's pure  
and his bread is divine,  
but I need a man  
I can love for his mind.'

Laughing, the blacksmith,  
he pulled her right up.  
'My darling,' he called her,  
'It's a pleasure to sup;  
My mind, as you've seen,  
is the keenest around,  
I doubt that you'll find one  
any sharper in town.  
But by to-morrow morning,  
I promise you this,  
it won't be my mind  
that you'll wake up to miss!'"

Kinana giggled as she walked up the stairs to the townhouse she shared with Laki, and blushed. The voice in her head was gone; maybe the song was too crude for him. Just as well—it was hard to focus on what Laki was saying with him whispering to her.

She unlocked the door and peered inside. Her friend snoozed on the faded green sofa, evidently waiting for Kinana's safe return home. Guilt wiggled around in her chest. She hadn't told Laki she was taking the late shift again.

The sleepy mage woke up when Kinana closed the door. "Oh, good, you have arrived to our abode," Laki yawned, sitting up. "I was beginning to feel concern at your tardiness."

"I'm sorry, I took another double shift and forgot to tell you," Kinana said.

"That is an acceptable excuse. We do need the monetary compensation for your labor." Laki twisted a bit of lavender hair around her finger, looking down inside of her thick glasses. Work was hard to find for mages unaffiliated with a guild. There was no way Laki would join Twilight Ogre, those brutes who treated Fairy Tail so mercilessly after the Tenrou Island catastrophe. Luckily, her uncle charged them cheap rent for the townhouse.

"We've saved up a lot of money," Kinana said cheerfully, setting down the lukewarm leftovers from the restaurant. "In a few more months we should have enough to move, and get a fresh start."

"A fresh start," Laki repeated with a small smile. "Have you thought about to which society we should relocate?"

Kinana considered the question as she unwrapped her hamburger. "Maybe Balsam Town," she suggested, thinking of The Baker and the Blacksmith.

"Why Balsam?"

"I like bread."

Laki gave her a look, but didn't bother to point out that Balsam Town wasn't exactly known for bread. Like Kinana had learned to interpret Laki's unusual vocabulary, Laki had grown to accept Kinana's disjointed, random reasoning. Kinana plopped down next to her on the sofa and handed her a veggie burger. She put a hand on the mage's arm. "We could go anywhere, Laki. There's nothing holding us here." _Except ghosts_ , she added silently.

"You're correct," Laki agreed, fiddling with the wrapper on her burger. "Nothing is here for us."

They finished eating dinner, chatting about lighter topics, and then went to bed. Kinana sang in the shower, even though the voice hadn't asked for an encore. She stepped out when the water grew chilly, squeezing her voluptuous curves in a threadbare towel. Her room was also bare, with the exception of some Fairy Tail mementos—a picture of the guild, her old uniform, some other odds and ends. Her room wasn't decorated with family photos and paraphernalia collected from childhood like Laki. Kinana didn't remember much from before Fairy Tail, and what she did remember was blurry, dark, and sad.

If she had family, they weren't looking for her.

Kinana whistled these thoughts away. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. "Goodnight, you," she murmured to the voice in her head. "Sorry for the song, I'll sing you a nicer one tomorrow." She waited for a response, and when she received none she hummed the last bars of a lullaby until she fell asleep.


	2. The Girl

_**Author's Note:** There's been some concern about the time placement of this story; I must apologize, I forgot to warn the readers about spoilers for the newest FT chapters. I will remedy that in the author's note for the first chapter, but for those of you reading this: the timeline is concurrent with **FAIRY TAIL CHAPTER 418** and beyond, which is about two years after the Tenrou Island arc. Again, sorry for not warning about spoilers for anyone who hasn't gotten that far._

* * *

 **2\. The Girl**

Cobra cursed himself. He'd fallen asleep.

It was still early in the morning, not long past dawn, but there was no telling when this mysterious girl with a connection to Cubelios would wake up. Several people were already leaving their little townhouses by the time their noises startled him into consciousness. He had spent the night on the cobblestones, leaning against a lamppost. Now, above him, the light flickered out.

Cobra stood and cracked his joints. The community was slowly growing more restless. All he had to do was listen and wait for a girl to appear. He wished he had gone back to ask the ferryman more questions. What did she look like? What was she doing? From which direction did she come? Already he could see tired faces of young mothers and puppy-owners peering out from their doors, their windows, taking their charges outside for fresh air. The girl could be any one of them.

The first potential find was a teenager on her way to school with her younger brother. She scolded him for being obnoxious, and Cobra winced at her shrill voice. No, this was not the right girl.

The next woman stepped out of her house to smoke a cigarette. She was older, with fine wrinkles around her mouth and eyes, but Cobra supposed the old ferryman could have considered her a girl. She blew a gray cloud of smoke and flicked the ashes on the ground, putting out the orange cigarette butt with her heel. Then she coughed, and Cobra knew this woman couldn't have produced the melody from last night.

His observations against the lamppost went on for several hours. He must have laid eyes and ears on every female on the street, from young girls playing hopscotch to their grandmothers knitting scarves from rocking chairs. None of them had the right voice. In fact, he hadn't heard Cubelios all morning.

Cobra's stomach growled. He was starving. The last time he had eaten anything was yesterday afternoon, when he stopped for lunch at a diner. He was reluctant to leave his post, but the sounds rising from his stomach were distracting enough to interfere with his surveillance. Cobra needed food.

He decided on the first restaurant he came across, only a few blocks from the neighborhood. It looked like another small diner. He walked in and sat down at an isolated yellow table, barely glancing up when an old woman shuffled over, handed him a laminated menu, and asked him what he'd like to drink.

"Just a black coffee. I'll have two eggs over easy with bacon and three pancakes."

The waitress scribbled down his order and left, only bothering him again to refill his coffee. The diner was fairly busy, but not crowded. Tired blue-collar workers lined the bar, while two old men played chess a few tables away. Cobra looked out the window as he sipped his coffee. The street was bustling in contrast with the stillness of the restaurant. At any moment, the girl he was looking for could be walking into that crowd.

When the waitress set his breakfast down, Cobra wasted no time scarfing it down. She raised her eyebrows at his ravenous appetite, shrugged, and after filling his coffee again, left to serve another customer. Cobra decided he would tip her. She was the least annoying waitress he'd ever encountered, and she was generous with the coffee.

He was sponging up the last of his eggs with the crusts of toast when the cowbell chimed, announcing the arrival of a new patron. There were only a few seats left in the small diner, and they were all too close to him for comfort. It was time to leave.

"Good morning, Frida! How are you?"

Cobra felt a tingle go up his spine. No, it couldn't be.

The old waitress emerged from among the chess players. "Fine, sweetheart, how about yourself?"

"Wonderful! It's a beautiful morning, don't you think?"

"Sure is, hun."

Cobra could hardly breathe. He didn't dare turn around, for he was afraid of what he might find. Frida shambled over to his table, coffeepot nearly empty. "Can I get you anythin' else, darlin'? You ready for the check? Sir?"

"Uh, what—what about that paper?" Cobra blurted out, pointing to the stack of newspapers sitting at the corner of the bar. Frida followed his line of sight, dyed red eyebrows crinkling in confusion.

"What about it?"

"Can I read it?"

"Sure thing, I'll go grab one for ya." Cobra's hand was trembling when she passed it to him. Frida's sharp eyes noticed. "You want me to switch you to decaf, hun?"

"Sure. Yes, that's fine." The waitress went away to refill her coffeepot.

Cobra carefully unfolded the newspaper, but he couldn't get his eyes to focus on the tiny newsprint. The letters swam before his vision. He heard a laugh erupt from over his shoulder, like a chiming of tiny bells. He had never heard such a laugh in his life.

The girl appeared behind the bar, equipped with an apron and coffeepot like her coworker. Cobra stared her down from over the newspaper, unable to take his eyes off of her. She wasn't a magnificent beauty, but she was pretty, with round, delicate features that reminded him of a pastry puff. Her dark hair was in a short violet bob tied up in a bandanna, but she still tucked pieces behind her ears as she worked. Cobra watched her practiced movements with intensity, scrutinized the muscles in her pale arms as she carried trays of food from table to table. His staring ended when he met her eyes—they were dancing emeralds that went on for leagues.

He ducked his head behind the newspaper, heart pounding in his chest. His stomach sank in disappointment. This girl, she held no resemblance to Cubelios whatsoever. How was it that this average waitress possessed the voice of his dearest friend?

 _Maybe I have deluded myself_ , Cobra thought morbidly. _Perhaps Cubelios really is gone forever_.

"Um…excuse me? Sir?"

Cobra's entire body tensed at the sound of her voice, so close to his ear. Addressing him directly for the very first time. He braced himself before he raised his head, meeting the eyes of this impostor once again. Her eyelashes were long, and cast shadows over the freckles sprinkled on her cheeks and stubby nose. Cobra focused on those shadows instead of her green eyes.

"What?" he snapped, more harshly than he'd intended. The girl recoiled slightly. Her fair countenance became nervous.

"I...I thought you called me over. My apologies."

She turned to leave.

"Wait." Cobra set down the newspaper, feeling vulnerable without the thin barrier. He looked over her shoulder at the sweets encased in glass on the bar. He pointed to one. "What's that?"

The girl followed his gaze. "Lemon meringue pie."

"I'll take a slice of that."

"Sure thing!" The girl shot him a radiant smile, and for a moment he thought that the decision to eat lemon meringue pie was the best he'd ever made. She brought it back on a chipped white plate and turned to leave again. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Your name," Cobra blurted, grimacing when a thick red blush spread across the waitress's cheeks. "Sorry, what's your name, again?"

The girl pointed to the name tag pinned to her generous chest. "Kinana."

"Kinana," Cobra repeated, testing the word out on his tongue. He might have imagined it, but he could have sworn he saw the girl shudder. "Thanks. I'm…Erik."

"Nice to meet you, Erik." Kinana smiled at him and nodded. His name—his _real_ name—on her lips sent a shock unlike any other through his body. He watched her walk away, wondering just what the hell he was dealing with.


	3. Distractions

_**Author's Note:** Thanks for all the love, you guys!_

* * *

 **3\. Distractions**

"That guy botherin' you, Kinana?" Frida gave the customer in question a fierce glare. Kinana set down her tray, glancing over her shoulder at the man in the corner brooding over his lemon meringue pie. True, something about him unsettled her—the undivided attention he afforded her over the edge of his newspaper, that gravitational pull she'd felt when their eyes met across the restaurant, the aching familiarity she felt in her chest, like the sight of him opened up a hole in her core she hadn't realized existed. Somehow she _missed_ him, but she had no idea who he was.

 _His name is Erik_ , she thought, smiling. _You know that_.

"No, he's perfectly friendly," Kinana told the protective waitress, who would not abide by men harassing her younger, prettier counterpart.

"I'll say," Frida muttered, untying her apron for a smoke break. "He wasn't nearly that friendly with me. Seemed like he wanted nothin' more than to leave before you showed up. Anyway, just let me know if he gives you any trouble."

"I will, Frida, thank you." Kinana glanced at Erik again over her shoulder, and saw that he suddenly was very interested in demolishing his pie. She blushed as she went back to work, stomach clenched with unease. On one hand, she was flattered he had supposedly taken such an interest in her. Men had hardly given her a second look when she was surrounded by gorgeous Fairy Tail belles. And with Frida's vicious looks, even men with innocent intentions were too intimidated to try asking Kinana out. She wasn't sure that was Erik's aim, either. He had, after all, only ordered pie and asked for her name.

Kinana worked through the lunch rush with Erik's dark eyes on her back. He pretended to read his newspaper, narrow face squinting at the small print, shock of maroon hair growing more disarrayed as he ran his slender fingers through it. Frida offered him the check several times, but he only ordered another serving of coffee with each visit.

After ordering a grilled cheese for lunch, Erik actually seemed invested in finishing the newspaper. Kinana was relieved to have his eyes off of her. She was writing down an order when she heard the voice whispering in her head for the first time all day.

 _Your voice…please…let me hear your voice_ …

"Will that be all?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you, ma'am."

 _Your voice…my last wish…to hear your voice_ …

She pinned the order to the line and began humming the song on the radio, not daring to belt out a ballad like she had on the street. When she spun around, Erik had put down his newspaper and was unabashedly staring at her with his piercing dark eyes. Kinana was so startled she walked right into a bar stool, shrieking as the tray she'd loaded with plates crashed to the floor, spilling eggs and bacon, shattering the ceramic. Everyone's eyes turned to her in astonishment. Her face was surely one hundred degrees.

"Kinana!" Frida called, hurrying over to inspect the damage. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Kinana stuttered, brushing Frida's hands away. "Just…got dizzy all of a sudden, that's all."

"Maybe you should take the day off," Bert suggested, appearing from the kitchen with a broom and dustpan. "You've been working too much."

"No, I'm fine," Kinana assured them sternly. They knew she needed the money, so they didn't argue with her. "I'll just go take my break early. Get some air, if that's alright with you."

Bert nodded. Frida took the broom and began to clean up the mess. Kinana untied her apron and looked over her shoulder at the table in the corner—but it was empty, except for the crumpled cash tucked under a coffee mug.

* * *

Kinana worked the rest of the day without an interruption. She didn't see Erik again, and she didn't hear the voice. She murmured a song or two, anyway.

Her feet hurt and her arms ached by the time her shift ended, but she had made a good chunk of money, particularly after Erik's generous tip. Frida offered to walk her home, no doubt due to their mysterious patron's strange behavior, but the old waitress's worries were soothed when Laki entered the diner with smiles for everyone. No one would dare approach Kinana with Laki around.

"Are you prepared to depart?" Laki inquired, picking up their evening meal from Bert, who earnestly put the money Laki handed him in Kinana's tip jar.

Kinana nodded and said her goodbyes, following her roommate out onto the street. Laki eagerly chattered on about some work she had found with a construction company for the next month, hardly containing her excitement. "Depending on my performance, the contractor spoke of permanent employment! Does that not bring joy to your heart?"

"That's wonderful, but…I thought we were going to try to leave Magnolia? What about getting a fresh start?" Kinana said.

"Yes, but the primary goal of relocating was to find stable employment, which this contractor is potentially offering." Laki stopped and put her hands on Kinana's shoulders, looking at her with sincere brown eyes. "Kinana, you know that I will not detain you if you really want to leave. I have always sensed that you possess a greater desire for travel than I do. Truth, this society is my home, and I have no intense yearning to abandon it." Laki gave her a benevolent smile to hide the difficulty of her confession. Kinana knew that Laki would be very lonely here in Magnolia if she left, especially since the disbandment of the guild. The mage looped her arm through Kinana's, guiding her further down the street. "I am hurtling the firearm by discussing this with you, aren't I? After all, there is no guarantee my performance will be adequate."

"I'm sure it will," Kinana laughed. "The bigger concern is how many perverts work there."

"Indeed!" Laki exclaimed, pressing a hand to her cheek. "They will not be able to control their ravenous desires! I'll have to take precaution until I can pick the perverts out. It would be a shame if the red blood from their nosebleeds stained our hard work. But enough conversation about me. How were the last twelve hours of your life?"

"Fine. A boring day," Kinana lied. Laki would never suspect how often Kinana fibbed. Never would she reveal the truth behind the voice, or the faint film reels from her childhood she dreamed. Something about Erik also needed shielding from Laki's critical analysis, though Kinana doubted she would ever see him again.

She was alarmed by the enormous disappointment that crashed through her chest and settled in her stomach at the thought.

As they approached the house, Laki placed her arm across Kinana's chest to stop her. She frowned at the shadowy corner behind the garbage. "Did you perceive a disturbance?"

"No, I didn't see anything," Kinana whispered, blinking at the spot. Laki handed Kinana the food, and crept over to the spot with narrowed eyes. "Be careful!" Kinana hissed as her friend disappeared into the darkness.

Laki stepped into the light, shrugging. "It was only an illusion."

"Are you sure?"

"There was nothing malevolent."

Kinana wasn't relieved, but she followed Laki into the house with nothing more than one last look at the street. When she closed the door, she heard the voice.

 _Talk to me…speak to me_ …

Kinana shuddered. She ignored the whispers all through dinner, biting her tongue against the urge to respond. Usually it wasn't hard to navigate a real conversation when the voice was speaking, but his mutterings were distracting her from Laki, just like they had distracted her in the restaurant. This time he was unrelenting, even demanding, the volume rising louder and louder until Kinana could hardly taste her food. She went to bed early, complaining of a headache.

"What's the matter with you?" she asked aloud, massaging her temples.

 _Speak to me...talk to me...I want to hear your voice..._

"I am! Can't you hear me?"

 _Your voice...let me hear your voice..._

"Do you want me to sing? Is that what you mean?" Kinana softly sang a few lines of a lullaby, but the voice lamented over the rushed tune. She collapsed on the bed and covered her ears, but it didn't do any good. She had no idea what else to do. He had never acted like this before. He was always so kind, so friendly, so polite. Kinana had never questioned his intentions, never wondered what he got from hearing her talk or sing. She assumed one day everything would become clear, that she would meet the strange entity who softly pleaded for her attention, who wanted nothing more in the world than her friendship.

But now, for the first time in her life, she wondered if she was going crazy.


	4. Head Over Heels

**4\. Head Over Heels**

It took every ounce of willpower he possessed, but Cobra did not follow the girl home.

He considered it, and in fact waited outside of the restaurant all day for her to come out so he could see exactly which little townhouse she lived in. There was no doubt in his mind that the waitress was involved with Cubelios, whether she knew it or not. So he watched, and he waited, fully intending to stalk the poor girl against his better (and frequently ignored) judgement.

Imagine his surprise when she walked out of the restaurant arm-in-arm with a former Fairy Tail mage.

He didn't recognize the mage, but he would know the tattoo on her arm anywhere. Fairy Tail, the guild that in two years was reduced to legends scattered in the wind, the guild that left the bitter taste of respect in his mouth. The guild that took everything from him, right after it showed him what everything meant. The last time he had seen Cubelios, he was fighting a Fairy Tail mage.

And now this girl, this Kinana, was friends with one of them.

Cobra watched them walk down the street, but he didn't follow them. He couldn't. In his heart, he felt absurdly betrayed by the waitress for fraternizing with Fairy Tail. It seemed like a twisted fate that his only path to Cubelios was haunted by the people who took her from him in the first place.

It complicated things. He had no idea how powerful this mage was. Kinana was no longer a vulnerable target protected only by a shriveled old wench and waning anonymity. Now she had the magic of Fairy Tail guarding her. Cobra hated to admit it, but the discovery put caution in his bones. He would have to go about this without arousing suspicion.

So he reluctantly walked in the opposite direction, away from Kinana and the secrets she kept. He checked into an inn near the restaurant and fell asleep as the sun rose.

The next morning, he went back to the diner.

Frida was there again, and gave him the evil eye when he sat down at the same yellow table, but she took his order and kept his coffee cup full. She even handed him the newspaper with his breakfast, although Cobra was so anxious he didn't even bother with the pretense of reading it. Every time the cowbell clanked, Cobra's head whipped around to check if it was the girl.

Finally, the old waitress stopped at his table for more than a drive-by refill, one hand grasping the coffeepot and the other holding the sass at her hip. "Look, bub, if you're here for Kinana, she ain't comin' in today. It's her day off. And if that is why you're showin' up again, I think you should lay off. I know a vagrant like you when I see one, and I can tell you she ain't the girl you're probably lookin' for."

Cobra scowled at the waitress, resisting the urge to shoot poison darts into her eyes. "I don't think the girl I'm looking for is any of your concern, and I doubt you can tell so much about me from just one look. Quite frankly, I don't believe you when you say she's not coming in today, but that's no matter. I came here because I liked the coffee and the lemon meringue pie. In fact, I wouldn't mind another slice of that."

"We don't have lemon meringue pie today."

"What kind do you have?"

"Coconut cream."

"That, then. And more coffee."

Frida gave him a look that could have spoiled the cream in the pie she delivered. Cobra was convinced she would have spit in it, had he not watched her cut it up. He shook his head and began to eat.

He'd tip her again.

Kinana arrived as he was finishing up his fifth cup of decaf coffee. She smiled brightly when she saw him sitting at the table. "It's nice to see you again, Erik. How are you today?"

Cobra would never get over what her voice did to him. It took more courage than any battle he'd ever fought to speak the lines he'd spent the morning mentally rehearsing. "Fine. I was just getting ready to leave, but I wanted to ask you—"

"Yes!" Kinana said eagerly, blushing from head to toe when she realized she'd interrupted his proposal. Cobra was so startled by her outburst that he lost his train of thought, which Kinana apparently mistook for irritation. "S-sorry, I didn't even—go on with what you were saying."

"I…um, I was going to ask if you wanted to meet me for dinner tonight," he finished up, smirking. "But I suppose I already have my answer."

"Tonight?" Kinana bit her lip. "I don't get off until late tonight."

"I'll wait," Cobra assured.

"It's late. Not until ten."

"Doesn't matter, I'll wait."

Kinana raised her eyebrows. "You want to get dinner at ten o'clock?"

"If not dinner, how about dessert? Coffee?"

"Dessert sounds good," Kinana agreed.

"I'll meet you here at ten o'clock, then." Cobra stood and placed cash on the table with a generous tip for Frida, who looked like she wished she was aggressively polishing his face instead of the counter top.

"Okay," Kinana squeaked.

Cobra offered her a small smile, and nodded to Frida on his way out. He could feel the jealous and admiring eyes of the chess players on his back.

He spent the day wandering around Magnolia, looking for a place to take her after work. He didn't want to go anywhere too fancy or popular—there was no telling if a Rune Knight or a former Fairy would recognize him. He knew he was already pushing his luck strolling around in the daylight, even with his hood drawn up over his face, but a date was the only way he would get her alone.

 _And what are you going to do once she's alone?_ he thought as he strolled the town. _You can't keep her or hurt her—that will only arouse suspicion_. If she was a Fairy, she would undoubtedly fall under Makarov Dreyar's protection. Not to mention how furious Jellal would be if a member of Crime Sorcière harmed an innocent girl. Cobra wasn't stupid; he knew better than to upset those two powerful entities.

The only way to find the connection between Kinana and Cubelios was to go incognito and do reconnaissance, get her to open up and extract any information he could. _No matter how long it takes_ , Cobra vowed, _I will find the truth_.

Cobra had walked nearly the entire city by the time night cast its shadow on the roads. He trudged back to the diner with sweaty palms, realizing for the first time the fatal flaw in his otherwise perfect plan.

He had never gone on a date.

How would he expertly steer the conversation when he'd never even navigated past small talk? Should he buy her flowers for such a casual occasion? Did girls still want men to open doors for them? Dear god—what if she asked him to come inside her _home_?

The sweat had climbed to his brow by the time he reached the diner. Kinana was walking out with the greasy fry cook, who eyed Cobra curiously, but without Frida's territorial malice.

"Right on time," the girl said cheerfully when she saw him approaching from the shadows. She waved to the cook. "Goodnight, Bert."

"Night, Kina. See you tomorrow." He gave Cobra a meaningful look behind Kinana's back, then turned with a grunt and shambled away.

"Hello again," Cobra said. He offered Kinana his arm, which she took with a delighted smile. Good. Perhaps this dating thing wasn't too hard after all. "How was work?"

"Pretty busy, but not too bad," she said. "How are you this evening?"

"Fine, thank you. Excited for more coffee."

Kinana laughed. "You drink more coffee than anyone I've ever seen!"

Cobra smiled, and they walked on in silence that quickly grew uncomfortable. He struggled for a topic of conversation, but came up blank. The hand hooked into the inside of his elbow suddenly felt like a ton.

"So," the waitress said as they turned around the corner. "Where are we going for dessert and coffee?"

"I saw a nice bakery just a few blocks away," Cobra replied. "It smelled delicious. Cane Cakes, have you been?"

"That place is amazing!" Kinana squealed. "They have the best cupcakes."

"Good," Cobra said, slightly relieved. "You've lived in Magnolia a long time, then?"

"For as long as I can remember," she said. "I haven't traveled outside of it much. What about you? You're new to the area, aren't you?"

"I travel for work," Cobra said. "I was just passing through."

"Oh, what do you do?"

Luckily, Cobra had worked on his backstory throughout the day, so he was prepared for Kinana's questions. "I transport exotic pets. Snakes, primarily, but some other animals, too."

"Interesting!" the girl exclaimed. Cobra watched her carefully, but detected no change in her features at the mention of snakes. "What's the most exotic pet you've transported?"

Cobra pretended to consider the inquiry. "Well, there was this one snake a few years ago that was absolutely remarkable," he began, discretely keeping tabs on her open, eager face. "It was massive, so big you could ride on it, with purple and white scales like gemstones. It even had wings—little ones, of course, but large enough to get it off the ground."

"That's incredible," Kinana gaped, her eyes full of genuine wonder. She looked up at the sky, tapping her small stubby chin. "I didn't even know creatures like that existed. Although, I guess if dragons are real…"

"Dragons?"

Kinana blushed shyly. "Yes, well, I know most people don't believe in them, but I've seen them with my very own eyes. They're truly as magnificent and fearsome as the legends say, Erik, you have no idea."

 _No, poor girl, you have no idea_ , Cobra thought. Aloud he said, "Where on Earthland did you see dragons?"

"Before I was a waitress at the diner, I waited tables at the Fairy Tail guild here in Magnolia. Surely you've heard of them?"

Cobra laughed. "You mean the guild with the infamous Titania and Salamander?"

"Yes, that's Erza and Natsu for you," Kinana giggled. "They're just as reckless and wonderful as the tales say, I promise you. Everyone was. Anyway, we had several dragonslayers in the guild—Natsu was a Fire Dragonslayer, Black Steel Gajeel the Iron Dragonslayer, even a little Sky Dragonslayer named Wendy. They were all raised by dragons, can you believe that? When the dragons went missing, they had to go out on their own, and they eventually made it to Fairy Tail. Well, a few years ago, right before Master Makarov disbanded Fairy Tail, we were battling this powerful dark guild…"

Kinana launched in the story of Tartaros as she knew it, which involved accounts of her friends fighting the dark mages and the dragons coming from nowhere. Cobra remembered the battle well—he was there, freed from his cage, and though he'd never had a dragon to call his own, their power coursed through his dragonslayer blood with every beat of their wings. He would never forget the sheer grace and force of every attack from that rock dragon. Cobra sensed that Kinana hadn't a clue about E.N.D. or Zeref's involvement. And why would she? She was just a vanilla human.

A vanilla human with the voice of Cubelios.

"That's unbelievable," he said once her elaborate tale was complete.

"It's all true!" she protested fiercely.

Cobra scrutinized her wrinkled nose. "You don't seem like a liar, so I guess I have no choice but to believe you. I wish I could have been there to see it."

"I wish I hadn't," Kinana sighed, tucking a short purple hair behind her ear. "I've never been so terrified in my entire life. I had nightmares for weeks. I'm not so brave, like Erza or Natsu or any of the others. I'm just an average everyday human."

"No," Cobra replied earnestly, "you're not."

He'd never seen someone blush so vividly.

The bakery was nearly closed when they finally arrived, but there were three cupcakes left for the picking. Kinana took so long to decide, Cobra was almost glad for the lack of selection. He ended up buying all three, and they split each one down the middle to share. They ate the pastries outside near the canal, which glittered with the streetlights lining the roads. Their fingers were sticky with frosting by the time the cupcakes were gone.

"I feel like a little kid," he snorted, wiggling the appendages in front of him.

"Yeah," Kinana giggled. "I bet you were a little troublemaker, weren't you?"

The skin of Cobra's back tingled from the memories of a whip. "Yeah, you could say that. My parents were pretty strict, though. What about you? I bet you were a goody-two-shoes, never broke a rule."

Kinana's smile faltered. "Yeah," she said, ducking her head. "I…I actually don't remember anything from my childhood. I have a case of amnesia. The first thing I remember is waking up in Fairy Tail about ten years ago."

"Ten years ago…" Cobra murmured. That would have been around the time he'd gone to prison. And around the time Cubelios disappeared. "You don't remember anything at all?"

Kinana shook her head. "No. Master Makarov said he found me unconscious somewhere, and said maybe I hit my head or something. We're not sure what happened. He took me in, even though I don't have any magic, until someone came looking for me. But no one did."

Cobra opened his mouth to speak, but Kinana's expression dried the words up in his mouth. Her eyes were downcast, her generous mouth turned down for the first time. The wind blew her hair about her face, and she caught him looking when her hand came up to smooth the short strands down. She smiled at him, but the joy couldn't fill the green chasms of her eyes. "Sorry, that's not exactly a great date topic, is it? I didn't mean to be so depressing all of a sudden."

Cobra offered her a small smile. He held out his hand to her, which she took with some muted surprise. She shrieked when he hoisted her upon the concrete barrier to the canal, setting her carefully down on the edge before hopping up after her. Her little fingers clutched his cloak to keep her from toppling into the water. Cobra laughed at her terrified expression.

"Erik, that wasn't funny!" she cried.

"Relax," Cobra chuckled. He kept one hand on her waist to keep her steady. "Stop scrambling around. Just let your feet hang over the edge."

It took some clumsy readjusting, but eventually Kinana managed to plant her bottom onto the concrete and let her feet swing above the languid current. She scowled at him in mock fury. "Warn me before you manhandle me again, won't you?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Cobra teased. "Wasn't that exciting, at least?"

Her laughter chipped away her stern expression and sucked the sadness from her eyes. "Yes, I'll admit that once I realized you weren't some weirdo trying to throw me into the canal, it was exciting." She peered down at the water, swinging her feet back and forth. "It almost feels like flying," she murmured.

Her melodious words brought him back to a time when he could fly, Cubelios's wings thundering on either side of him, her slender sinewy body shuddering with every beat. The sunlight raced them on the water, but only Racer had ever matched Cubelios's speed. When he looked down at this water, all he saw was their warped figures and the celestial reflections of the streetlights. This wasn't flying—it was floating in the eye of a galaxy.

Cobra looked over at Kinana, and wondered what she was thinking. From what he could hear, her mind was still on the topic of flying. She was remembering an experience of her own. He tentatively placed his hand upon hers, bringing her back to reality. Her face was round and pale like the moon, her eyes two fertile craters in its surface. There was nothing delicate in the blush that splotched her porcelain skin, but Cobra didn't mind—he appreciated her transparency. He felt that he had met a truly genuine person, perhaps for the first time in his life. Affection, the kind he'd once reserved exclusively for Cubelios, sprung up in his heart.

"I'm glad I found you," he told her, and it was the truth. Even if she couldn't lead him to Cubelios, tonight Kinana had made him...happy. Her value surpassed finding his long-lost companion. It was an unexpected revelation.

His words gently removed the cheerful mask Kinana had worn for quite some time. It crumbled away at his sincerity, revealing some of the yearning and sadness she'd kept so carefully hidden underneath. Even after all these years, Kinana had secretly hoped someone was looking for her. Cobra couldn't tell her how faithfully he'd followed her voice, but he could at least let her know the jubilation he felt now that he'd discovered her.

Kinana grabbed his cloak and pulled him toward her. Their mouths made brief, painful contact before they both lost their balance…

…and toppled right into the chilly water of the canal.


	5. The Invitation

**5\. The Invitation**

"You kids ought to be more careful, you hear? If I hadn't been straggling around, there's no telling how long you would've been in that water. You could've hit your heads and drowned, or gotten hypothermia. I know it's warm outside, but this water's still chilly, especially at night when there isn't any sunshine. There's not really a place to climb out of the canal over here, either—the nearest dock is a decent swim away, and even then it's not like it would've been easy to climb out without a boat to grab a hold of. I know it can be exciting to mess around on the wall, but just remember this next time you're feeling adventurous—I wasn't supposed to be out here so late. Just think about that. Think about how long you could've been swimming around in that water."

Kinana stared down at her feet, clutching the rough white canvas around tighter around her shoulders. She didn't dare glance at Erik beside her. It was all she could do to keep from laughing without meeting his amused eye.

"Yes, sir," she murmured around her chattering teeth. "We know better now. Again, thank you so much for picking us up."

"Yeah, well, it's all in a day's work," the ferryman grumbled, his impressive gray beard waving up and down with every syllable. This, in addition to the absurdity of the situation, was the cause of Kinana's shaky composure. She was deliriously embarrassed at herself—it was her fault, after all, that they were shivering and wet, enduring a lecture from the loitering ferryman who had witnessed their less than romantic plummet into the canal. Kinana felt her face heat up just thinking about it. She'd meant to initiate a spontaneous, passionate kiss, but had instead clumsily shoved Erik over the barrier by assaulting him with her face.

Erik hadn't said anything since the fall, but Kinana could occasionally feel him containing laughter during the ferryman's stern speech. The ferryman had offered them a tarp, which was scratchy and covered in a fine layer of mildew, but was some protection against the biting breeze. They huddled together under it.

The old ferryman let them off at the next dock, just a few blocks from Kinana's house. "Remember what I said, you two," he finished, accepting the tarp from Erik. "Have a nice rest of the night."

"You, too. Thanks again," Erik replied. They watched the old man row away, refusing to acknowledge one another until he slipped behind the bridge and out of sight. Then, hesitantly, Kinana peeked up at him and found that his lips were pressed together in a tight, upturned line.

Laughter exploded from them so violently that they were clinging to each other by the time it all escaped. "I can't— _believe_ —that actually happened!" Kinana wheezed, clutching her sides. She was still soaking wet, and though the night was growing colder by the minute, laughing had made her warm.

"Me neither," Erik replied, wiping a tear from his eye. He recovered much more quickly from his guffaws than Kinana. Smiling, he offered her his hand. "C'mon, I'll take you home."

Kinana took it and together they walked on. Erik's fingers were long and slender, encasing her palm in a spider-like grip, still cold from their dip in the canal. They didn't talk much as she guided him down the winding streets to her quaint neighborhood. The yellow glare from the streetlights muffled the stars above, but at one point Erik tugged at her hand and pointed up. "Look," he said, "a shooting star."

"Make a wish," Kinana suggested, smiling at the white streak of light. She was too content in that moment to wish for anything, but Erik briefly closed his eyes before they continued down her street. Though she didn't ask what he'd wished for, Kinana hoped the shooting star granted it.

She stopped in front of the townhouse. A dim light flickered from Laki's room. Kinana had asked Frida to drop by and inform Laki she'd arrive late, but she imagined that Frida's message contained too much vitriolic suspicion toward Kinana's date to soothe her roommate's cynical mind. Laki wouldn't rest until she heard Kinana open the front door, and it would no doubt make for an awkward situation should she have Erik in tow.

"This is it," she sighed, turning to him. "My humble abode."

He smiled at it. "It's cute. Do you have a roommate?"

"Yes, a friend from Fairy Tail. She's still up, probably waiting on me. She's a little paranoid when it comes to the intentions of men." Kinana laughed, but it died in her throat when Erik took a step closer. One of his slender hands slid around her waist, pressing their bodies together, while the other brushed some of her short dark hair away. He stooped down, pressing his lips to the shell of her ear.

"Your friend might be on to something," he murmured. He quickly caught her earlobe in his teeth, weakening Kinana's knees. "Men," he continued, pressing his lips against her throat after every word, "hardly…ever…have…good…intentions." His nose careened across her fluttering pulse, a predator teasing his prey, and sent Kinana's blood screaming. Erik caught her face as though he sensed her next move, and before she could pounce on him again he'd pressed their lips together with the hungry ferocity Kinana craved. She melted into him, moving her mouth and body in synchrony with his, completing every motion he began. Even Erik seemed overwhelmed by the power of the kiss, his urgency growing with each parting breath. His hands roamed over her figure, gripping her short hair, clutching her delicate face, running over her shoulders, her waist, her thighs. Kinana kept her own hands occupied, tracing the contours of his body but feeling that she'd somehow known them before, like she was finally viewing the map of a land she'd already surveyed with her own footsteps.

"Come inside," she breathed, pulling at his belt. She was beyond caring what Laki had to say.

But at her words Erik seemed to reign himself in. He pulled away from her gently, and kept her at bay by bringing his hands to her shoulders. "I can't," he whispered, looking down. Kinana felt her face erupt into an embarrassed fire. She drew back, confused and mildly offended by the rejection.

"Why not?"

Erik paused, and Kinana could tell he was struggling with the truth. When he opened his mouth, she knew lying had prevailed in the struggle. "Your roommate."

"What about her?" Kinana said stubbornly. "I'm a grown woman, and she's not my keeper."

"I'd hate to make a bad impression on two of your friends in one day," he said, running his thumb over the curve of her cheek. "Besides, I have work early in the morning."

Kinana decided bluntness was the correct course. "I know you're lying to me, Erik. If you're not interested anymore, just say so."

"Clearly, that's not it," Erik snorted, exasperated. "I just can't, Kinana. There are some things I need to figure out. Trust me, I _want_ to. But I can't."

She knew this was the closest thing to the truth he was going to give her, and at least he was through with his half-wit excuses. She pressed her lips together and grabbed his cloak, suddenly worried that this was the last she'd see of her elusive, mysterious date. The thought of his disappearance emptied a part of her heart she hadn't realized he'd filled in such a short span of time. "You won't leave yet," she blurted out. It was partly a demand, partly a question.

"No," Erik assured her. "I'm not leaving yet."

For the time being, Kinana was satisfied with that fact. She nodded silently and released him, climbing up one of the stairs so that they were eye level. Slowly she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, resisting the urge to lean into him. She broke away when Erik's hands came up to touch her. "Good night, then," she said as she turned away and climbed the last few steps. Erik watched while she unlocked the door. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "This is your last chance."

Erik gave her a rueful smile and shook his head. "Another night, Kinana."

"We'll see," she said, winking. Then she closed the door.

Kinana ignored Laki's eager interrogation and peeked out the window of her roommate's bedroom, but Erik was already gone. After a scrubbed retelling of the night's events, her sigh of disappointment blew out the candle.


	6. Disappeared

**6\. Disappeared**

Cobra only made it two blocks from Kinana's neighborhood before the shining gauntlet shot out from an alley and pulled him into the darkness. He'd expected the attack since the cupcake shop, but anticipation didn't soften the blow when his ass hit the concrete. He tried to sit up, but stopped when the tip of a sword pricked his neck.

"I'm going to give you exactly one minute to explain what the hell you're doing," Erza Scarlet hissed, her dark eyes glowing with rage from behind her curtain of crimson hair. "If your answer isn't satisfactory, I will not hesitate to gut you."

"Easy, Titania," Cobra murmured, raising his hand in surrender. "I'm not here to meddle in your business. Pinkie swear. We can talk about this like adults, can't we?"

"Don't call me that," Erza growled. She lowered her sword just enough for him to sit up. "I'm not queen of anything. I never was. Why are you here? Jellal didn't say he was sending anyone."

"Jellal didn't send me. I'm…freelancing."

Erza narrowed her eyes. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Look, it's innocent," Cobra sighed. "I came here because…shit, you're not gonna believe me, so what does it matter? Cut me open, I don't care."

"Don't give me any ideas." Erza stooped until they were nearly eye level. Her finger prodded at his chest. "What were you doing with Kinana?"

The memory of Kinana's eager mouth on his own overcame him. He could almost feel the silky strands of her short black hair through his fingertips, smell her warm racing pulse under his nose. He didn't have to fake the mischievous smile that came to his face. "I don't know, Erza, you tell me."

The metal smack of Erza's hand knocked his smile away. Cobra winced and wiped the blood from his cheek, glaring up at her as she struggled to collect herself. "Don't play with me, Erik."

"My name is Cobra," he snarled.

"Apparently not, from what I heard," Erza shot back, cocking her head to the side. "Why does Kinana know your _real_ name? Does Jellal know you're here gallivanting around town with waitresses?"

"Jellal doesn't have any fucking power over me," Cobra snapped. "Don't confuse Crime Sorcière with your little guild, Titania, and don't you _dare_ delude yourself into thinking Jellal is our master. He may dole out the assignments, but the only reason any of us are working with him is so we can get our revenge and get our lives back."

"Is that what you were doing back there?" Erza whispered dangerously. "Getting your life back? Or were you getting revenge?"

Cobra heard it coming, but her hand was around his throat before he could react. "Listen to me, _Cobra_ ," she spat. "I don't know what you're doing in Magnolia, but my people have noticed you sniffing around here a lot, and I don't like it. Especially now that you're messing with Kinana. She's a sweet girl, just trying to get her life together after Fairy Tail's disbandment, and she doesn't need you dragging her into anything shady. So stay away from her." Erza released him, leaving him wheezing on the ground. She stared him down until he caught his breath. "And next time you decide to 'freelance,'" she said, "remember that Jellal is the only reason you aren't still in prison."

Cobra glared at her as she ducked out of the alley and into the street, quickly disappearing into the urban sprawl. He spat blood from his mouth. "And you're supposed to be one of the good guys," he grumbled, standing up.

After his anger subsided, he thought about what the Titania had said. His primary objective was to find Cubelios, yet he was ashamed to admit he hadn't thought about her all evening. Instead he'd become ensnared by this mysterious girl who possessed her voice. Cobra realized with dawning horror that he'd wasted an entire day and he was no closer to finding the connection between Kinana and Cubelios. The only useful information he'd collected was regarding Kinana's amnesia, and that created more questions than it answered.

Jellal would suspect something soon, especially if Erza contacted him. What she'd said was the truth—Cobra and the rest of Crime Sorcière were fugitives, protected only by Jellal's influence and connections in the government. If Jellal sensed betrayal, he'd send Cobra back to prison in a heartbeat. And if Cobra continued to pursue Kinana, there was no telling what kind of danger he could deliver to her doorstep.

Cobra scoffed at himself. _What does that matter?_ he thought. _She's just a means to find out more about Cubelios. You got caught up in her hotness, that's all._

 _Then why didn't you accept her invitation, smart guy?_ another part of his brain countered.

"Fuck," Cobra said out loud. This was not acceptable. He had decided a long time ago, long before he'd become Cobra, that people were beneath his affection, that the only one worth loving was Cubelios, who could offer the same kind of unconditional friendship and devotion in return.

 _It's her voice_ , he decided. Cubelios's voice coming from Kinana's mouth, it had gotten his emotions all muddled up. Kinana was probably just as shallow and stupid as everyone else, but beauty of her voice camouflaged the filth in her words.

He looked up at the moon, three quarters full in the sky, and listened. He hadn't heard Cubelios all day, not since meeting Kinana, really. What if it was all a trick? What if Cubelios was gone, killed in the battle like everyone said, and Kinana's voice was just a freaky coincidence? Cobra had no evidence. He had no more leads. And once Jellal learned Cobra was in Magnolia, he'd send Meredy to collect him. Or worse, he'd come for Cobra himself.

"There's no point," he whispered, looking back down at the ground. "It's time to leave this place."

Kinana's vulnerable green gaze swam across his vision. _You won't leave yet_ , she'd said. No doubt thinking of the past she couldn't remember, of the family who'd never come looking for her, of the guild to which she, with her mortal weaknesses, had never truly belonged. Terrified of the secret loneliness that threatened to encroach upon her fragile joy.

"Who cares?" Cobra sneered. But he couldn't bring his feet to move. He groaned and tugged at his hair. It wasn't right. It wasn't right to just disappear without an explanation. Not when he'd promised to stay.

Not when he wanted to stay.

He emerged from the alley and began walking toward an inn. One more night wouldn't hurt anyone. Even if Erza had already contacted Jellal, it would still take him at least a day to get to Magnolia. Cobra could spend the night at the inn, get breakfast at the diner, talk to Kinana, and be on his merry way before noon.

It was luxurious to fall onto a bed, even one as lumpy as the one provided by the cheap, cash-only inn. Cobra wondered how much softer Kinana's bed was, how much cleaner. Surely it didn't smell like stale cigarettes and air freshener. It probably smelled exactly like her—warm skin and rose-scented soap, under the odor of grease from the restaurant. Her hair had traces of olive oil, most likely to keep it so shiny, and he bet that it lingered on her pillow. Her bed was small, given the modest size of her townhouse, but that wouldn't have bothered Cobra one bit. It wouldn't have mattered if she hogged the blankets—her body would have kept him warm. He imagined their legs tangled together, her curves hidden underneath his cloak. The Crime Sorcière uniform. Cobra chuckled deviously.

He turned over and regretted not accepting her invitation, but he knew it was a smart move. Her roommate could have recognized him. There's no telling if Erza would have intervened, especially if Kinana's roommate tried to use magic to get him to leave. And then he would have witnessed Kinana's betrayal when she realized that he had once attacked her guild, hurt her friends. Her fear when she discovered he was a criminal working outside of the law for his own benefit, not a transporter of exotic pets. Her disappointment when he had to admit that he'd lied.

The thought made him uneasy. Yes, it was best to break it off now, before she caught on, before he was tempted again. Once he left, he wouldn't come back. Not for her, not for a mission, and not even for Cubelios.

* * *

Cobra didn't feel rested when he woke up the next morning. He blamed the mattress. The front desk was unmanned when he left; vindictively, he took back his fee from the register. It wasn't like he made big bucks working for a pseudo-guild, anyway.

It was mid-morning before he made it to the diner, so he knew for sure that Kinana was on the job. But when he stepped inside, the place was empty, save for Frida, the fry cook, and a young woman with short lavender hair and glasses. Cobra's eyes widened. It was Kinana's roommate, the former Fairy Tail mage.

The trio turned to him when the cowbell clanged. There was a moment of intense silence, in which everyone was too shocked by each other to react. Then Frida's painted red eyebrows drew together, and Cobra was jostled into action as he dodged the silver tray she hurled at him. It rebounded off of the door, cracking the glass.

"You've got some nerve coming back here, you bastard!" the old waitress cowed, fighting off the fry cook's restraining arms. "I knew there was something off about you, I knew you'd cause nothing but trouble!"

"Frida, calm down before you tear my restaurant apart!" the fry cook cried.

"I'll tear him apart, that's what I'll do!"

Cobra knew he should run. Kinana's roommate was still staring at him, as though trying to figure out what to say. If he escaped before she thought to attack, there would be minimal trouble. Jellal would take care of any sightings, just like he always did.

But Frida's outburst worried him, and he still couldn't see Kinana. Besides, the girl was terrified of him—that was plain to see and to hear. She wasn't powerful.

"What's going on?" he asked instead.

"Like you don't know, playing innocent to cover your damn tracks!" Frida snarled. She froze when Kinana's roommate put a hand on her shoulder, not daring to take her eyes off of Cobra. The girl stepped forward with timid courage, a steely determination in her meek eyes.

"I recognize your face," she murmured. "You were a member of that dark guild Team Natsu fought. The Rune Knights apprehended you and you were the occupant of a prison cell. But I saw you the day that Fairy Tail disbanded, too. You fought the dragons with us."

"Dragons?" Frida whimpered. No doubt she remembered that day, like everyone else in Magnolia. She appraised Cobra with a new hesitance. The fry cook just stared in awe.

Cobra looked at the girl for a long time. She didn't sound angry. She hadn't attacked, though her guard was up. "Yeah," he said. "The name's…Erik. You're Kinana's roommate."

The girl's shoulders tensed. "How are you affiliated with my friend?"

"This is the vagrant I told you about," Frida interjected, shooting Cobra a dirty look. "The one that Kinana went on a date with last night. Apparently one night just wasn't good enough, huh?"

"What are you talking about, lady?" Cobra snapped, losing patience. "Where is she? Where's Kinana?"

"Kinana's missing," the girl blurted.

"Laki!" Frida snapped.

"No, I told you that she returned in good health before the sunrise," the girl—Laki—exclaimed. She shot a glance at Cobra over her glasses. "And in good spirits. But when my nocturnal cycle ended, I entered her room to offer her nourishment before work, the glass of her window was shattered and she had disappeared."

Disappeared. The word rang loud like a bell in Cobra's ears.

Frida was relentless. "He could have snuck in and—"

"Study his countenance, Frida! He is just as flabbergast by this heralding as you!" Laki hissed. She turned back to Cobra, hands resting squarely on her hips. "I don't know your affiliation with Kinana, or any ulterior motives you inevitably possessed by courting her. I don't know why you aren't locked away in a cinderblock cell with handcuffs to contain your magic. I do know that you are a dangerous criminal, and that you are ruthless, and that you could probably conquer the three of us with little effort. I'll tell you now that I am not skilled with magic designed for battle. The primary function of my magic is craftswomanship. But I sense by your behavior and by what Kinana recounted to me that you do care about her. Even if I'm exaggerating your affection, I'm not above begging or buying your assistance."

Then, to Cobra's astonishment, the girl got down on her knees and bowed her lavender head to the ground. Her shoulders were shaking, and when she looked up at him, tears filled her eyes. "Besides myself, you were the last person to see her. Insofar contact with anyone else has failed. Please, if you have even a shred of decency, help me find my friend."

Cobra looked from her to Frida and then back at the cracked glass door. Who could have kidnapped Kinana? Was it his fault that she was gone? He set his jaw and looked back at the girl, who had yet to move, waiting with baited breath for his answer. "Get up," he ordered, crossing his arms. "I don't need your money or your tears. Take me to your house. We're going to find Kinana, even if we have to uproot the city to do it."


	7. Praying

**7\. Praying**

Kinana was groggy when she was finally able to open her eyes. Her mouth tasted like sand and was just as dry. Her eyelids felt like they weighed several pounds, but she forced herself to blink the weight away until she could focus on something.

The first thing she noticed was the darkness. The only light leaked in from a crack in what she could only assume was a door. She was tied to a wooden chair, her wrists joined together in the back and her feet tied to the legs. There was no gag around her mouth, but she doubted that anyone would hear her if she made a noise.

She dared to whisper, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

No one answered.

Kinana swallowed the panic that rose up in her throat. The last thing she remembered was falling into bed, thinking of Erik and wishing he was with her. There may have been something strange on her pillow, a powder she couldn't identify, but she was so tired she'd fallen asleep before investigating it. Now she realized someone had drugged her.

But who would do that?

Kinana decided she didn't want to find out. She twisted her wrists to test the bonds. Tight rope, bound to the back supports of the chair and wrapped several times around her hands. Her ankles were similarly secured. There was no wriggling out of these. Her only option was to try to break the support of the chair.

The door opened, letting in a blinding light. Kinana squinted up at the figure who approached her. It was an old woman, hobbling and gray, with a white braid twisting down her shoulder and a bitter, wrinkled face. She smiled when she saw Kinana was struggling, revealing rotten brown teeth.

"Perfect timing," she crooned, patting her hands together. Kinana gulped. The woman's hands were hideously mutilated, the last two fingers of each hand chopped off and scars as thick and pink as worms running from her palms down into the sleeves of her wool dress.

"Who are you?" Kinana asked, looking around at her surroundings. Now she could see she was in a plain cellar, the earthen floor dusty with herbs, the ceiling decorated with their dried skeletons. "Where am I?"

She jumped as a chair moved of its own accord from behind her, screeching to a stop behind the woman, who sat in it with a gentle groan.

"You're a mage," Kinana gasped.

"Wrong," the woman said. "I'm a witch. A subtle distinction, but a distinction I must make based on sheer principle. I'm not overly fond of mages."

Kinana's mind went to Porlyusica, the surly witch who lived in the East Forest and used her capable knowledge to heal a Fairy Tail mage from time to time. "You sound like someone else I know," Kinana muttered dryly.

"Shouldn't you be afraid?" the witch said with a hint of irritation. "Intimidated, at the very least? I've got magic. I could hurt you badly, girl. I've already kidnapped you. No one knows where you are. You're completely at my disposal."

Kinana tried not to let that get to her. She jutted her chin out stubbornly. "You don't know my friends. They'll find me in no time at all, and then you're in for a heap of trouble, lady. So you might as well let me go now."

The witch tipped back her head and cackled. "Are you talking about the little wood-make mage you live with? Or the old hag who works in your diner? Or maybe the zookeeper you're dating?" She laughed again at Kinana's shocked expression. "That's right, girl, I'm no fool. I've watched you for quite some time, ever since I heard that voice of yours singing on the street. You sing just like your mother."

"My mother?" Kinana's chest tightened at the words. Her mother. She had her mother's voice. Her mother sang. "You know my mother?"

"I knew her," the witch sneered. "She's dead, now. Been dead for many years."

And just like that, the woman extinguished all of Kinana's fruitless hopes that she'd harbored since that day she woke up in the guild hall. Her mother was dead. Tears filled her eyes. Her mother was dead, and Kinana couldn't even pull the memories from her brain. If there were even any memories to pull.

"It doesn't surprise me you don't remember her," the witch sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Transformation magic does that sometimes."

"Transformation magic?" Kinana said. "What are you talking about?"

The witch raised an eyebrow. "It must have really wiped you out, then. Sylvia was new at transformation magic. It doesn't surprise me that her spell was sloppy enough to cause this amnesia."

Kinana was stupefied. Her amnesia wasn't caused by some freak accident, but by a transformation spell? Too inflamed by curiosity to be afraid, she tried to fish more information out of the witch. "Who's Sylvia?"

"Your mother," the witch growled, as though this was obvious. "She was my apprentice, you know. A poor soul. Dirt-poor, orphaned at sixteen, knocked up by a musician who died in a hotel fire sleeping with some other woman—she didn't have anywhere else to go. I took her in when I realized her potential."

"My mother had magic," Kinana murmured, wonderstruck.

"I taught her everything she knew," the witch said, as lost in the story as Kinana. "Sylvia was a talented witch, I'll give her that. And she was mean as a dog, which I liked. I don't think she really loved anything, until she had you, of course. She died fighting to protect you."

Kinana throat suddenly went dry. "Protecting me from what?"

"From me, stupid girl," the witch chuckled, showing her rotten teeth. "That's why she transformed you into a snake. It was a last-ditch effort to keep me from using you, a precious newborn babe, in my elixir for immortality. You were the final ingredient in a process that took me almost five months, and damned Sylvia ruined it. I knew she'd run if she found out, so I was very discreet—but one day I caught her putting the pieces together, and I knew she'd run, so I chained her up until she went into labor." The witch shrugged. "I didn't think she'd fight so hard. Babies are easy to make. But she used the last of her strength to transform you, and once you'd become a snake I knew I couldn't use you. She died without transforming you back. I threw you to the side in an effort to revive her, and you'd slithered away by the time I gave up."

Kinana stared hard at the witch, dumbstruck. Tears of anger pricked in her eyes. "You…you killed my mother," she accused quietly. "You planned to kill me before I was even born. What kind of monster does that?"

"I didn't kill your mother, she killed herself," the witch retorted. "I tried to save her, ungrateful child. I'm no monster. What would you do for immortality? The opportunity to be young and beautiful for a million years?"

"I wouldn't want that," Kinana snarled. "Not when I'd have to watch everyone I love grow old and die before me. But I suppose that doesn't concern someone like you." She struggled with her bonds. "What do you want with me after all these years? You can't use me in an elixir now. I'm not an innocent newborn."

"No, you're certainly not," the witch remarked. She grabbed Kinana's face roughly in her hands, turning it from side to side. Kinana grimaced and turned away, but she didn't have anywhere to go. "But I've found something almost as good. A spell to switch bodies with another person. I thought it'd be fitting to use you."

"Switch bodies?" Kinana gasped, finally pulling out of the witch's clutches. "You can't have my body!"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. I've already prepared everything. I've been using some of your mother's hair to summon you since I heard your voice on the street, but between the transformation magic and the fact that you're only half of her, it's been little good. I had to come get you myself."

Kinana's thoughts when to the sinister voice that had replaced the kind one in her head for the past few days. "That was you," she said. "You were the voice in my head."

"So you did hear me. Interesting." The witch tapped her chin.

"Please," Kinana begged, tears rolling down her cheeks as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. She had no magic with which to fight, no weapons to use. Laki had no idea where she'd gone, and Erik…she didn't even know if Erik was still in town. All she could do was plead. "If you had any affection for my mother, please let me go. I don't have magic, so it's not like you could continue your witchcraft in my body anyway. She was your apprentice, and she wanted me to live. She died trying to protect me. Doesn't that sacrifice mean anything to you?"

"You don't understand, stupid girl," the witch huffed. "I did like Sylvia. This is a gesture of respect. You're wrong about another thing; your body is bursting with magic. It would take months for you to tap into it, maybe years. What better way to expedite the process than to transfer that ability to someone who can really use it? And it's not like you're going to die—you'll have my body, for however long I have left to live. If you'd like, I'll even offer you the opportunity to select another body to switch again. You could be anyone you want. That's a deal Sylvia would take, if she were in your place."

Kinana shut her mouth. There was nothing that could persuade this woman. Her only hope was that Laki found her in time, or that she somehow tapped into this mysterious magic inside of her while chained to this chair. Neither seemed likely. The witch stood with a groan and hobbled away. "Time to get started, then."

Kinana closed her eyes. She found herself yearning for the first voice in her head, the friendly one who only ever wanted to hear her singing. She was never lonely with it around, not until its strange disappearance. She hadn't heard it since that night she'd sung the bawdy song by the canal. The witch's calling had replaced its warm tenor.

Kinana's eyes suddenly opened. If the witch's voice had a receiving end, then maybe, just maybe, the friendly voice did, too. The voice could be a real person out there in the world, trying to get in touch with her. Kinana didn't want to think about the implications of multiple people trying to get inside her head, but she knew it was her only chance of escape.

She'd never tried to initiate a conversation with it before, so she didn't really know how to start. _Hello?_ she thought, hoping that she wasn't just going to hold a conversation with herself. _Are you there?_ When she didn't get a response, she tried mentally screaming out into the universe, hoping that someone might hear her and coming looking. _Please, please help me! If you were ever really there, if you ever cared, if you were ever a real person, please come save me! I don't know what to do, I don't have anything to protect myself. Please, please help me! I'll speak to you whenever you want, I'll sing whatever song you want me to. Just please, don't leave me here to die._

"You're awfully quiet over there," the witch remarked. Kinana could hear her grinding some herbs. "What are you doing?"

Kinana closed her eyes, too focused on her praying to respond.


	8. Wish Come True

_**Author's Note:** The longest and last chapter! Thank you everyone who read this, and reviewed or favorited it. I greatly appreciate your feedback and your enthusiasm. You guys are the ones that keep me going, always. :)_

* * *

 **8\. Wish Come True**

The timid roommate fidgeted nervously while Cobra surveyed the scene of the abduction. Between annoying shuffles, the girl explained that there wasn't much amiss aside from the open window, which let in a breeze to cut through the thick sweet fog of Kinana's scent. It was overwhelming and intoxicating, despite the barrenness of the room, and did little to help Cobra's concentration. He did notice a fine white powder on her pillowcase, stirred by the restless afternoon heat. Cobra's tongue flicked across the pad of his finger, which he pressed into the fabric to extract the powder. He rubbed it away with his thumb and caught an herbal undertone that nearly knocked him to the ground.

"Sleeping sand," he murmured.

"What?" Laki squeaked.

"Kinana was drugged," Cobra told her, wiping the rest of the sinister powder on his cloak. "Someone sprinkled a sleeping sand on her pillowcase. I'm guessing they snuck in, waited until she was unconscious, and carried her out the window."

"But what sort of deviant would go through such lengths to burgle Kinana?"

Cobra wrinkled his brow at the girl's complicated speech. "I don't know. Someone with an agenda, I guess. Someone who's skilled enough with herbs to make a powerful sleeping sand. Maybe someone from Kinana's past?"

"Surely she's informed you of her severe amnesia," Laki huffed. "A person from Kinana's life before Fairy Tail could be anyone from the city—anyone in Fiore!"

"It was a clean job. There's not much here to go on. My best bet is to follow her scent and see how far it will take me," Cobra said. He knew that was almost hopeless—if the kidnapper stole her in the night, the trail was probably gone. "You should stay here, maybe ask around and see if the neighbors noticed something suspicious last night."

Laki looked reluctant to stay, but Cobra had disappeared down the stairs and out the door before she could argue. She would only slow him down. He wished Cubelios was with him, so that he could fly over the city and listen for Kinana's voice. The other sounds of humanity were blotting her out, drowning her in the indistinct babble.

Then, he heard it.

As clear as a bell, like she was standing right beside him, resting her stubby chin on his shoulder, pressing her lips to the shell of his ear. He could feel her hot breath. _Please, help me_ , she whispered in that voice he knew so well. _Erik, please help me_.

Cobra wheeled around, but she wasn't there.

"Kinana?"

 _Please help me_.

"Where are you? Kinana!"

 _Please_.

She was fading. Cobra scowled and ran in the direction he thought she was coming from. This was not going to happen again. He was not going to lose her again. "Move out of my way!" he snarled as he barreled down the street, heedless of the outraged and startled cries from the passing pedestrians.

 _Erik_.

"I'm coming!"

 _Help me_.

The voice stopped. But he smelled her. He could smell her. She was near, growing closer, close enough for the wind to bring him the rose-and-olive bouquet of her scent. The trail was clear, coming from a ramshackle house in the middle of nowhere. Cobra hadn't even paid attention to where he was going. He was just following Kinana's pleas for help.

He rushed to the house and burst inside. It was tiny but well-kept, made of wood and stone. It smelled heavily of herbs and musk, almost overpowering the faint aroma of Kinana's terrified sweat. Cobra could hear her clearly now, her real voice, screaming from the floorboards underneath his feet. There was a door to his left; he kicked it down, and it fell into splinters down the stairs.

"Kinana!" he called.

"Erik!"

He took the steps in two giant leaps, and crashed into a dingy cellar cluttered with buzzing herbs. There was an old wiry woman gripping Kinana by her shoulders, trying to force some sort of concoction into her mouth—Kinana was tied to a chair, struggling with all her might, her mouth firmly shut. Her body seemed milky-white and blurred around the edges, her limbs elongated and formless, her delicate face losing its round stubby features. She tossed her head and made eye contact with him, and her emeralds were reduced to inky slits in a field of topaz.

Cobra would know those eyes anywhere.

"Erik!" she cried, revealing pointed teeth. The witch grabbed her face and roughly pulled her lips to the cup, but Cobra was there before Kinana swallowed. The witch howled when the potion spilled across the floor, spreading across the hearth in a thick, blue-black puddle.

"You fool!" the witch hissed. "I was trying to keep her from transforming!"

Cobra heard the chair explode, and turned to see a purple serpent uncoiling from the ropes, tripling in size as her tail whipped the restraints away. Her magnificent wings spread from her back, tips brushing the ceiling and sending a rain of dried leaves down on her shining scales.

"Cubelios," Cobra rasped.

It was only because he knew the rhythms of her motion that Cobra was able to leap out of her way when she struck. Her long body shuddered and lurched, attacking with incredible speed and precision. The witch had no hope for escape. Her scream was cut short by the ferocity of Cubelios's strike, the severe snap and slurp of her powerful jaws closing on crunchy bone and soft flesh. Her blood hit the wall at a violent trajectory, stinging the side of Cobra's face. He was bewildered. Cubelios had never attacked anyone like that, not even on his command.

Her massive tail swung around, and their eyes met again. They were filled with fire and bloodlust, lost in the carnality of the transformation. He saw the bunching of her muscles, a preparation to strike. At him. To kill him.

"Cubelios, no!" he shouted, suddenly terrified. He couldn't hear anything coming from her skull, could sense no thoughts or feelings. This creature in front of him was entirely alien.

He was abruptly crushed by the idea that the snake had devoured Kinana, that her unwavering, warm humanity was consumed by cold and feral transformation. It was clear by this beast's glaring stare that in spite of all his searching, he would never get Cubelios back. But Cobra was going to fight for Kinana.

He rolled away from her second strike, nearly losing an arm to her lethal fangs. Her eyes flickered to him in an enraged frenzy, her strong body pausing to pull her teeth from the hearth. Cobra shot poison at her before he remembered that she was immune, and leapt away from her next attack. But this wild Cubelios was smarter than that—her tail whipped around in conjunction with her body, and slapped him up against the wall. Cobra fell to the floor, winded and limp, the perfect prey. He braced himself for her next strike, and it was only luck and familiarity that allowed him to catch her jaws in his hands before she could bite.

The impact was like a freight train. Cobra groaned when his broken ribs hit the wall, and his arms trembled with the effort of keeping her jaws separated and held at bay. Her long fangs dripped with beads of ruby blood, and her forked tongue lashed against his face in a vitriolic hiss. Cobra could see down the dark red passage of her throat. The blood made her sandpaper scales slick to the touch as she pressed forward. Cobra was going to lose this battle of wits.

"Kinana, listen to me! It's Erik!" he cried out in desperation. "I know you're in there, I know you can hear me! I didn't leave, just like I said I wouldn't, so you're not allowed to go either, you got me?! I did not come looking all this way just to find nothing! I didn't know it at the time, but I was looking for you! And now that I've found you, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you go. So stop trying to bite my fucking head off, will you?!"

The snake stopped pushing. She breathed deeply, once, twice, spraying a thin mist of pink blood and harmless spit in Cobra's eyes. He heard her body rearrange itself in the cramped space, and her jaws slipped from his unstable grip. He blinked in amazement as he watched Cubelios shrink, her wings folding into latissimus dorsi, her scales melting together into skin, her flesh folding itself into arms and legs and hips and breasts. When the transformation was over, a shivering, unconscious, naked Kinana laid across his lap. Cobra let himself fall prone in relief.

He covered her up with his Crime Sorcière cloak. Her green eyes flickered open when he lifted her into his arms—trying to ignore the screaming pain in his ribs—and carried her up the stairs.

"Erik," she croaked. Her chin was dripping with the witch's blood. "What happened?"

"Later," Cobra promised, emerging from the cellar and closing the door behind him. He would certainly tell Kinana what she'd done, but there was no reason for her to see the gore.

She seemed to accept this, or was too tired to argue. Instead she laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh of relief. "You found me," she whispered.

"I've been looking for a long time," Cobra replied.

* * *

Laki was hysterical when Cobra carried Kinana's bloody, unconscious body into their peaceful little townhouse. Erza and Jellal were there with her, and the former had a sword at his throat before he could even begin to explain. She eventually allowed him to place Kinana in the bathtub for Laki to wash.

"Alright," she said when he came back into the den, her sword poised at chest-level. "Start talking."

Cobra was infuriated. "I was about to tell you the same thing."

Jellal was the only one who could have prevented the screaming match that ensued from escalating into a nuclear war. Erza accused Cobra of trifling with an innocent human girl, for taking advantage of her vulnerable state, for getting her involved with some sort of dangerous entity seeking vengeance. Cobra was convinced Erza knew of Kinana's true identity the whole time, and was keeping the only person he loved away from him out of hatred and spite. "And worst of all," he snarled at her brilliant red scowl, "you kept her past a secret from her, and let her go on believing that she was just some amnesiac with a family who didn't care enough to come looking for her!"

"She is an amnesiac with a family who didn't care enough to come looking for her!" Erza shrieked. "Fairy Tail has been her family from the day she woke up!"

" _I came looking for her, and you kept her hidden from me!_ " Cobra roared.

Jellal stepped between them, raising both of his hands so they acknowledged him as no-man's land. "I don't think either of you are even listening to each other." He turned to Cobra, raising an eyebrow. It stretched his tattoo across his cheek. "What you're saying is that Kinana _is_ Cubelios?"

"I'm what?"

They all turned to see her standing there in a white nightgown, Laki fluttering nervously behind her. Her skin was scrubbed clean and glowing, her hair still damp from the bath. "Your elevated voices roused her from her day-rest," the wood-mage chirped.

It took a long time, and a lot of confusion, but between the five of them they put together Kinana's story.

Erza sincerely didn't know anything about Kinana's identity as Cubelios. All she knew is that Master Makarov found her the day of the battle between Fairy Tail and Oracion Seis, and that she had amnesia. That was also the extent of Laki's knowledge.

The information Kinana got from the witch who'd kidnapped her filled in most of the missing pieces. She told them all about her mother, about the witch's betrayal, and about the transformation spell that ruled her blank white childhood.

When it came time for Cobra to confess, he was nervous. He'd lied to Kinana about his own identity. When all their eyes came to rest on him, he realized that she might not like Cobra the unofficially pardoned fugitive, that her heart had only belonged to Erik the mysterious vagrant zookeeper.

He told her anyway. She deserved the truth.

When he was finished, everyone was stunned speechless. Erza knew his twisted childhood; Jellal knew his imprisonment and subsequent rehabilitated civil servitude; Laki knew his reputation as a dark mage. No one expected the devotion he'd shown to his friend, to his Cubelios. The only person who could hope to understand that was the girl sitting across from him, looking down at her pale hands folded in her lap.

Kinana looked up at him and her eyes were brimming with tears. "You lied to me."

"I did," Cobra gulped.

"You're a dark mage."

"Not anymore."

"But you were."

"Yes."

"And you hurt my friends."

Painful pause. "Yes."

"I hurt them."

"Yes. But you—"

"I killed the witch."

"Not really, that wasn't—"

"You've been looking for me all this time."

"Yes, I followed your voice here. You still have the same voice."

"Were you—" Kinana stopped and bit her lip. "I think I heard you, too. I heard you looking for me, asking to hear my voice. You were in here." She tapped the side of her head.

"You heard voices?" Laki murmured, concerned.

"Just one," Kinana assured her. "The Master knew about it, and he watched me for a while, but I started lying and told him it'd gone away. I don't think he ever believed me, but I never showed any signs. Honestly I didn't want the voice to go. He was friendly. It only stopped when you came into the restaurant."

Cobra was surprised. "I never projected anything, as far as I know. But yes, I think it was me. When I was defeated in battle that was my last wish. To hear your voice."

"I can't believe this," Kinana said, rubbing her temples. "I can't believe any of this."

"It's all true," Cobra responded.

She looked up at him sharply, her eyes full of tears again. "Tell me something, Erik—Cobra—whoever you are," she said harshly. "If I wasn't Cubelios, if I was just plain Kinana, would you even care about me at all? Would you have left me in the dust to go looking for her?"

Cobra took a long time to answer, but he answered honestly. "It would have been hard," he said. "I haven't really cared for anyone other than Cubelios the way I care for you. I didn't want to leave you, I really didn't. But Cubelios was my lifelong friend, Kinana. She was my family. I wouldn't have stopped looking for her for anything. Not for anything."

At that, Kinana's eyes overflowed and she jumped from her perch on the couch and right into Cobra's arms. Her whole body shook with sobs and her hands clutched at his back. Cobra was astounded, certain that his earnest confession would have insulted her and driven her away, but his relief overpowered everything when she let him put his arms around her trembling frame and bury his nose into her sleek floral hair.

Later, when Kinana was asleep, Cobra found Jellal in the kitchen. It was a peculiar sight, the blue-haired mystical leader sitting on the counter sipping tea from a chipped wooden mug. Erza had left earlier that afternoon, exchanging terse and ashamed words with Cobra before moving on to Jellal's elongated goodbye. Laki agreed to host the two outlaws for one night, upon Erza's assurance that neither would try to seduce or ravish her. Yet she spent most of her time with Kinana or locked up in her own candlelit room, filling out paperwork for the new job she'd proudly bragged to the worried Titania about.

Jellal nodded in Cobra's direction and offered him tea as if it were his own kitchen. Cobra flatly declined and without ceremony held out the soiled Crime Sorcière cloak.

"I'm not cleaning that," Jellal said after a minute.

"No, that's not—look, I'm quitting," Cobra snapped, shoving the cloak into the leader's arms. "I don't care if it means I have to avoid the Titania and her knights from now on. I can't be in your little club anymore. I'm sick and tired of it."

"But I was just going to assign you a new task," Jellal complained.

Cobra gawked. "Are you kidding me?! After everything that's happened, you honestly expect me to go traipsing around the country again? Surely even you can't be that dense. I was just using it as an excuse to look for Cubelios and get out of prison. Well, I've found her. I don't need you anymore."

"What about prison?"

"Like I said, I'll avoid the authorities. I did it well before I ever worked for you."

"And how will Kinana feel about that? Living as a criminal, having to steal and lie and cheat in order to survive?"

Cobra scowled at the linoleum. "I'm not leaving her again. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Hear me out," Jellal recommended. He placed the cloak back into Cobra's reluctant hands.

* * *

Kinana was only pretending to be asleep when the door to her bedroom opened. She loved Laki dearly, but her constant pestering concern was becoming a nuisance. It was hard enough trying to sleep the day away when she could still taste the witch's blood in her mouth no matter how much she brushed her teeth.

She didn't feel bad about killing the witch. That woman had caused her too much pain to mourn her death. But the fierceness of the attack that Cobra described, and the fact that she couldn't remember any of it, terrified her.

Kinana's eyes opened when someone lifted the blanket and slid into bed with her. Laki had switched her pillow for another, and washed the pillowcase, so it smelled as sleepless as the dark eyes that scanned her burning face.

"You know," she whispered as Erik lined his body up with hers, "I think this is what Erza meant when she said you weren't allowed to ravish us."

"I'm not ravishing," he replied. His hands slid up her thigh, pushing the nightgown out of the way. "I'm seducing."

"Also forbidden."

"I like forbidden." He leaned across the pillow and kissed her, letting his hands skim up and down her human body, as though determined to memorize it as well as he had her serpentine form. "I would have been here last night," he whispered, "but Erza was stalking me."

"I guess it's a good thing you weren't," Kinana whispered back. "Otherwise who knows what would've happened."

"Titania would've beat the shit out of me, and then the witch."

Kinana laughed, but Erik muffled it with his hand so Laki wouldn't hear and investigate. This only made Kinana laugh harder, which he silenced with more kisses. Kinana broke away breathless and exhilarated, but apprehensive. "What are we going to do, Erik?"

He seemed surprised by the question. "Well, I mean, nothing you're uncomfortable with—"

"That's not what I meant," Kinana snorted, poking his shoulder with her finger.

Erik sighed and brought her head to his chest, stroking her hair with his long-fingered hand. Kinana closed her eyes and took in the dark earthy smell of him, his warmth and his heartbeat. "I talked to Jellal," he said, his voice a rumble in her ear. "He gave me a new mission."

"So you're not staying." Kinana tried not to be hurt, but didn't entirely succeed. She knew his dedication to Cubelios was sincere, and that his attraction to her was powerful—but maybe self-preservation trumped that. She knew logically he couldn't live here in Magnolia, not as a criminal with fragile impunity. But she was still betrayed that he hadn't fought for it.

"No, I'm not staying." His fingers tightened in her hair, and tugged at it until she tilted her head up. "But you don't have to, either."

"What are you saying?" Kinana hissed. "What about Laki? What about Fairy Tail?"

"Laki will be fine. She's not going anywhere, and that job she got set up seems like a pretty sweet deal. You told me that you wanted to see Fiore, and she doesn't really have an interest in that, does she? As for Fairy Tail, all you can do for now is get stronger so you can come back bigger and better. You can't honestly tell me you think everyone else is sitting around busing tables."

That stung. Kinana scowled. "I'm not a mage, Erik. How am I supposed to get stronger like everyone else when I don't have magic?"

"You do have magic," Erik chuckled, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You've had magic ingrained in you since your mother cast that spell. It's lain dormant, but it's there. Jellal can sense it, and I'm sure Makarov could, too. Probably just figured it was the spell. I can teach you how to use it. I can teach you how to control it, harness it. I can teach you how to be a mage."

Kinana could hardly believe what she was hearing. Become a mage? It's all she'd wanted since Fairy Tail had taken her in. Be with Erik? That was even better. It was too good to be true. "So, what?" she deliberated, looking for the catch. "I become a member of Crime Sorcière and run around doing missions with you?"

"Not right away," Erik assured her. "The first mission's going to take a while, anyway."

"What's that?"

"I'm supposed to teach you magic. We can go anywhere to do it—in fact, we'll have to move around in order to keep incognito. Then, when you're ready, we'll start doing jobs if you want. We'll get you all caught up. By the time you see your old pals, they won't even recognize you. You'll be running with the big dogs." He grinned at her, rubbed a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

Kinana sniffed. "But what if that happens? What if Fairy Tail becomes a guild again? You know I'd have to leave Crime Sorcière. I couldn't stay away, not from them, not after everything they've done for me."

"Jellal visits Erza all the time. Has to, in order to keep up with what's going on. I don't see why it would be any different with us. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." His grin got wider. "Besides, you never know. You might change your mind. So, what d'you say?"

"You want me to leave Magnolia, the only place I've ever known, and run around with you, someone I just met, and let you teach me magic," Kinana recapped.

"Yeah, I do. I want that more than anything."

A smile broke across her face. "Yes. Yes, I say yes."

Erik kissed her so fiercely their teeth rattled together. He rolled on top of her, pinning her to the bed and pressing his entire body to hers. His hands took each side of her face, his fingers tangled in her hair, like all he wanted was to be a part of her. Kinana was floating with happiness and roaring with the bliss that was to come. Erik leaned down and inhaled her again, spreading fire in her veins.

"A wish come true," he said.

Kinana didn't have the time to answer, but she didn't need to. She'd never wished for anything, not particularly, but somehow all her wishes had, indeed, come true.


End file.
